1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is related to that of conveyors, the invention is an apparatus which includes means forming a trackway with a truck or trolley that moves on the trackway that can move from one point or work station in a plant or the like to another.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conveyor systems of various types are well known in the prior art. One typical type of conveyor system often found in industrial plants is a type wherein there is provided a conveyor means mounted on uprights or standards and embodying relatively closely spaced transverse elongated rollers. The rollers are rotatable about transverse axles provided by shafts or arbors supported by the conveyor means. In using this type of system, the article, for example, in an industrial plant or other place must be lifted and placed on the transverse rollers of the conveyor system and then pushed along with the rollers rotating on their axis.
In using the system as described, articles, such as parts being worked on, can be moved from one point to another. However, initially the parts or articles must be lifted and placed onto the conveyor and pushed along the conveyor rollers to the desired further position or work station and then the parts must be, again, lifted and transferred by hand to a work bench or work station adjacent to the conveyor means. As can readily be seen, the use of this type of conveyor requires considerable manual effort on the part of the users; requires bending over and lifting both onto the conveyor and when taking the parts off to move them and place them on a work bench or work station. Lifting of heavy parts frequently results in injury to a worker.
A particular deficiency of the type of system described in the foregoing is that it is lacking in any means or facility for moving or transferring an article from the conveyor system off of it or, that is, in a lateral direction. As, for example, at right angles to the conveyor system to the surface of the work bench or platform.
The invention as described in detail hereinafter is intended to provide a system that overcomes all of the deficiencies and disadvantages of the prior art systems and to provide an improved system having capabilities not present in any known prior art system.